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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · patient · perch · root · wake · march · chair · last

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. branch — a division
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a leader
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a word
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com